War priest the complete.., p.101
War Priest: The Complete Series, page 101
Meosa laughed. “Yes, she’s asked you twice now, my boy. Pay attention.”
She has?
“Anything,” Arik said quickly. “Whatever is easy. How was Mogra? Anything we should be aware of?”
“Are you feeling better?”
“I am.”
“Good.”
“And Mogra?” he asked again. “Anything we should know, prepare for?”
Tayaura placed a cutting board on the counter. She used a butcher’s knife she had procured to hack into a large hunk of pork. “They know we came in this direction, the Crimsonians.”
“How?”
“Caravans aren’t the only way to travel from Mogra to Omoto. They have pigeons—bird mongers are a different thing entirely down here—and there are relay services using a special type of horse bred in the eastern part of the country.”
“I don’t think I’ve seen any special horses before,” Arik said. “But my last trip here was brief. Last two trips, really.”
Istvan finished his cup of tea and set it down on the ground. “I’ve seen the horses on the Crimsonian side of Omoto. They are small; the people riding them look strange because of the size of the horse, yet they are fast. They aren’t big like the horses we have up north. If you can ride one of ours, surely you could ride one of theirs. But that’s not what’s important here. If information can travel this fast here, they likely know that we were heading in this direction.”
“That’s right,” Tayaura told Arik. “They are mostly looking for you, but they are still using a description of you that isn’t entirely accurate. They expect you to be wearing the Mask of the Fallen. It’s like illusionists, or the idea of illusionists using disguises, don’t exist at all to them.” She laughed. “How stupid of them.”
“That’s what I call a cackle,” Meosa said so only Arik could hear.
Tayaura slammed her knife down onto the cutting board, her laughter dying with the gesture. “It truly gives us an advantage. We will slip into the city tonight wearing our square hats. I already found a place we can stay. Tomorrow, we will make our move on the academy. That’s where we are planning to go, right?”
“What lead do we actually have?” asked Istvan. “You never told me that part.”
Arik went for his Coro Pache biography. He found the passage in question and showed it to Istvan.
“And it’s a charm?”
“Demon Charm,” Tayaura told Istvan as she began dicing a wild onion. “I think it controls people based on the description.”
“How would this be helpful?”
She stopped what she was doing and looked up at Istvan. “To an illusionist, it would be monstrously helpful. It was probably created by one. The Mask of the Fallen and the Whispering Sword are clearly of Thunderauric design.”
Arik recalled that Hojo had called it the Demon Charm of Katano, while the text listed it as the Charm of Katano. He had yet to ask Hojo why. Perhaps it was something he’d be able to do that next morning, if Tayaura was up for it. “It could definitely be of Chimauric design.”
“This Demon Charm sounds like something a Hidden Warrior would hoard,” Tayaura said, “which makes me wonder how Coro Pache came across it to begin with, and what he used it for.”
“No telling.” Arik set the biography down. “There’s nothing in here about how some of these things came to be, only that they were.”
“So it’s in his dorm, is that what this is suggesting?” Istvan puffed his cheeks out. “The War Priest went to the academy in Mogra?”
“He did,” Arik told him. “He is a big deal down here. It’s his hometown, after all.”
“Ah, I see. And our overall plan is to get into this dorm—if we can even figure out which one it is—and find something in the wall.”
Tayaura used her knife to shift the onions into a bowl. “That’s the idea.”
“You plan to sneak into a famous Crimsonian academy, one filled with swordmasters?”
“Double Sword,” Arik told Istvan. “That’s this academy’s specialty.”
****
It was clear to Arik when they left that night how difficult it would be for Istvan to take part in whatever infiltration they planned for the Academy. Moving and behaving like an illusionist wasn’t easy, and shifting into a disguise was something that took some practice.
Everything was off about Istvan’s appearance, from his tilted square hat that didn’t seem to sit straight on his head to the way his robes hung. Tayaura had hidden her sword under her robes, and both of Arik’s were sheathed at his waist as normal, which would be out of the ordinary in Mogra. For Istvan, they had to keep the weapon exposed, which was something that neither Arik nor Tayaura liked. It could draw attention to them.
It was increasingly starting to look as if getting into the city wouldn’t be as easy as they hoped. But there was always Meosa, who could scatter any guards, and there was Tayaura and her cunning, which Arik fully expected to be on display if they encountered anyone.
After passing the water drop-off point for the porters, they started through the outer rim, Arik trying to suppress the memories of the time he had shared there with Domen the herder. It seemed so long ago, a lifetime ago, really. The disciple appearing in Mogra from the desert; everything that had happened since.
There was a wide pathway cut into the canyon wall, large enough for caravans to ascend to the top of the valley. The pedestrians walked along the inner edge of this pathway, just a few now, two of them with glowing lanterns on sticks that they carried against their shoulders like they were fishermen. It was a strange sight, one that caught Arik’s eyes time and time again as they followed this group, his eyes tracing around the halos of light that circled their feet.
In the end, getting into Mogra didn’t turn out to be as complicated as he had predicted.
Under Tayaura’s guidance, they merely kept to the back of the group that was already making their way to the city. Yet again it was as an illusionist style, hiding in plain sight, a role Arik was able to understand.
Istvan, not so much.
He lagged behind, his knees getting caught in the tight way that Southerners wore their robes. While wearing the clothing before, Arik had come to understand the style of walking necessary to make it appear natural. Istvan, however, continued to plow ahead as if he were a toddler stomping toward a favorite toy.
“We are so lucky that it is night and the guards around the entrance here aren’t so bright,” said Meosa. “Otherwise, we would be in quite a bit of trouble. I’ll try to tell him something.”
Arik didn’t look back, but he did sense that Istvan had tried to straighten up after Meosa had a quiet conversation with the northern man. Luckily for their group, the place Tayaura had chosen to stay wasn’t far off the main road. To get there, they cut through an alley that had a hidden courtyard at the end. They circled around the courtyard and shifted down a stairwell that came to a place that reminded Arik of a hidden grotto.
How Tayaura had found the hideout in her short time in the city was beyond him. But then he remembered she had been in Mogra before, when he had first encountered the illusionist in the deserts beyond.
The illusionist produced a key and opened a side door. She sparked a lantern near the door and motioned them into their new hideout. Arik was surprised to find a nicely decorated space that had recently been swept, the stone floor polished.
“Is this another one of the illusionist homes?” Istvan asked her as he removed the square hat, the big man clearly annoyed by the piece.
“No, but it will do. There is a bed down the hallway for you. Disciple, you and I can use the mats there.”
Istvan looked at Arik, the northern man slowly raising an eyebrow at the disciple.
For the time being, Arik kept a square hat on, which concealed his face. He didn’t know what to make of Tayaura’s statement, or if it meant anything.
Yet again Arik was baffled by the illusionist. He also felt ashamed for overanalyzing what she had said. They had slept in the same room before, and she wasn’t as familiar with Istvan. Why did he immediately assume that she meant something more by it?
Once Istvan was gone, Tayaura turned to him, the answer becoming clear with her next statement: “We need to talk to my father. I want to get his advice on how we should do this, what he would do. Sit with me.”
Tayaura lowered onto her sleeping mat and she motioned to the mat across from her. Arik took a seat. His two swords were now on the ground, the Mask of the Fallen in the front of his robe where he often kept it. It was harder to sit in the Crimsonian clothing considering how tight it was around his knees, but Arik made it work.
Tayaura found his struggle funny.
“It’s not easy.”
“No, but you did well. Unlike your counterpart.”
“Istvan?” Arik looked toward the end of the hallway. “None of this is easy, you know. Becoming an illusionist or even thinking in this way isn’t for the faint of heart.”
“Yet in the future, it is precisely what we will do as we build our Academy. You have been thinking about that, right? My recommendation is that we break ground in Iga.”
“Smile and nod, my boy,” Meosa said, sensing Arik’s apprehension. He had thought little about that aspect of what they were planning to do since their last conversation.
Tayaura continued: “We will need to see what my father says, but somewhere accessible to both the Onyx Realm and the Crimson Realm would be an ideal location. I suppose that we will need to travel through your realm to see what has actually happened to the other academies considering we don’t know the full details. Is that where you were planning to take your sister? What was her name again? Mori—?”
“Mori Ehara. And I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Arik admitted. “I don’t know who will look after her. Perhaps some relatives of mine, but she would know better than I. She was the one that was living at home, not me.”
“Then she can join us. We can take care of her, disciple. That works for me. Does it work for you?”
Yet again Arik hesitated. “I hardly know her.”
“But she’s your sister.”
“What I mean is that I don’t know what she’s going to want. She’s her own person.”
Tayaura considered this. “I guess our focus should be on rescuing her first. Which will come soon. Very soon. Are you wanting to raise her?”
Arik shrugged. “I haven’t thought about that either.”
“She’s going to remember you as a disciple, yet she’s going to see you as what you are now. Be prepared for that.” Tayaura smiled at Arik. “I didn’t mean for that to sound ominous. Let’s get some sleep. Kami?”
“Yes?”
“Wake us up just before dawn.”
“As you wish, milady,” Meosa told her in a wry voice.
.Chapter Six.
“Through precision, your skill will triumph over their strength.”
–A quote attributed to Combat Master Sem Floana during her annual night trials at the Double Blade Academy of Arts, Year 535.
After a night of little sleep, Arik joined Tayaura in the courtyard outside of their Mogra room. The illusionist had a blanket draped over her head to keep warm. She sat on the ground, her palm turned over as she waited for his hand.
Once he was ready, Arik placed his palm over hers, the two now holding the soul gem he had received from the itako of Mt. Osore. The itako had made it sound simple. To activate the soul gem, all you do is summon the Yokaura within. Arik hadn’t been able to do this on his own, but with Tayaura, it was easier.
His eyes closed, Arik could now feel the difference in their power, his with a fluid nature to it, hers much lighter. He could visualize it as well, Revivaura water-like, Chimaura a fine mist. Together, they swirled and strengthened until he felt the pull deep within, one of a cosmic force that he had studied his entire life yet would never fully understand.
Arik opened his eyes to find Hojo hovering there, the man made of blistering light, his conical hat hiding his features as always. For a moment, Arik squinted at the apparition, but then the glow died down.
“Shadow-children. Tell me everything.”
Tayaura caught her father up on all that had happened since they last spoke. This included Nyoko’s betrayal, as well as Master Nankai’s death and the way Master Guri Yarna had double-crossed Nobunaga. “He can do what the disciple does,” she told her father. “But at range, without touching them.”
“Are you saying that he can transfer wounds over a distance?” Hojo asked carefully. “If so, that would make him an incredibly difficult opponent to tackle.”
“He can. And it can affect more than one person. But I think I know how to do it. Or, I get the theory behind it. I just need to do some tests.” Arik looked at Tayaura. “I’ve been meaning to tell you that. It’s something I would like to try.”
“Then you should try it,” Hojo said. “Something like that would come in handy in numerous scenarios. Where are you now?”
“Mogra. Following up on the Demon Charm of Katano,” Tayaura said. “Why did you call it that?”
“The Demon Charm?”
“Yes. Its name in the text is simply the Charm of Katano.”
“Because that is what it was referred to as when I first heard about it,” Hojo told his daughter. “It was always the Demon Charm of Katano.”
“Do you know what it does?” Arik asked Hojo.
“No, but I have a feeling that it has an influence similar to your mask, only amplified. You said before that the mask changes you to some degree, right? At least you hinted at it. And the way you hold yourself, it changes, you know.”
“I’ve heard voices from the mask, but they aren’t very strong,” said Arik. “And there is the poisoning aspect that Coro Pache didn’t seem to like, but it doesn’t bother me too much. I hardly notice it, if we’re being honest.”
“Yes, a poisoning aspect. I believe it will be something like that, only amplified.” A flash of light traced around Hojo’s form. “So you are in Mogra to get the demon charm. Do you have a strategy for how you will obtain it? Do you know where it is?”
Arik mentioned the passage from the Coro Pache biography. “We will have to infiltrate the Double Sword Academy of Combat Arts to find Coro Pache’s room. I don’t know what we will do from there, but I am assuming it is in the walls.”
“And how will you infiltrate it? Have you given any thought to this?” Hojo asked Tayaura.
“That is why we wanted to speak to you, Father. I scouted the Academy today. It doesn’t look like it will be easy to get inside. Not to mention the sheer force they have between students and instructors. Even with our natural advantages, it would be stupid and risky.”
“I agree, shadow-child. But you must get inside. When contemplating how to do so, you must ask yourself this question: what is the one thing in Mogra that holds power over all other things? I’m not talking about the families of former slaves who live on the outer rim, or the Crimsonian blades themselves and the prosperity the Academy has brought to the city. What is the one thing that keeps a city like this, one that has been erected in the middle of a desert, alive and well? What keeps it operating?”
Arik started to turn to Tayaura, but then it struck him what Hojo was referring to. “Water,” he whispered.
“Precisely. Water. That is how you will get inside the Academy. There are porters. These porters have to deliver water daily, and they do so in large barrels. Have you seen their operation? I certainly have. They bring water down from the mountains, and along the way they keep depositing the water into larger and larger containers. By the time you are at the entrance of the city, they are in big wooden barrels, twice as large as a normal barrel.”
“There’s one right there,” Tayaura said as she gestured to the other side of the small grotto-like space. Sure enough, a large barrel sat in the corner, one with chopped pieces of wood stacked on top. “I know what to do from here.”
“Good. Do you have anything else you would like to share, shadow-children? I feel my time may be waning.”
“We do, Father. I think it would be best to establish a joint Academy in the city of Iga. What are your thoughts on that location?”
“Iga.” Light began to radiate around Hojo’s head, forming a halo. He seemed to be floating even closer to them now, bright to the point where Arik had to look down and away. “I will think about it over the coming days, but I agree, it is a good place. Although my heart will always be in Minami. Next time we speak, I will let you know my thoughts. It is so good to see both of you. Do well, shadow-children. Contact me again after you have obtained the demon charm.”
****
One thing was certain as they strategized what they were going to do the next day to get into the Academy—Istvan was going to have to stay behind. He wouldn’t be part of the main infiltration, and the big northerner seemed happy about that. Yet they were going to need him around if there were any surprises, which was why Tayaura led Istvan to a tavern outside of the Academy just before noon.
